Warning: This article contains spoilers in Avatar: The Way of Water. Read at your own risk!
The Ending of Avatar: The Way of Water Explained: Movie Recap
Avatar: The Way of Water starts with Jake explaining the song that Neytiri is singing and the beads that she sings to, that every bead marks a part of life. Jake, then, introduces their children, with Neteyam, their eldest, bringing so much joy into their life and small family. Then, there’s Lo’ak, then, Tuk, and their adopted children, Kiri, who turns out to be the daughter of Dr. Grace Augustine, conceived through the Na’vi body of the late scientist that has been preserved in the laboratory with their allies, and speaking of the lab, Spider, a human boy, also grew up there. Much to their surprise, as the years passed, their family grew. The children explores Pandora together, and they are quite inseparable with each other, with Kiri and Spider having some sort of special bond together, both being orphaned since birth. However, while their life seemed to be a happily ever after, the Sky People returns to Pandora and a year later, they continue to build a resistance against the humans who are trying to infiltrate the planet, their home. It is revealed that Colonel Miles Quaritch is back, with his consciousness transferred to his Na’vi form, and he is fixed on vengeance on Jake and whoever killed him. He tries to hold the kids hostage but only got Spider, his own son. As he hunts Jake, their family decided it would be best to leave their clan and seek refuge to to the clans by the reefs. That way, they could protect their clan so they put on a new leader and went on a voyage to the reefs. The Metkayina clan didn’t want to accept them at first, with Ronal disagreeing with Tonowari, but knowing the legacy of Jake as Toruk Makto, the head of the clan, Tonowari, accepts them and welcomes them. In exchange, their family needs to learn the ways of the Metkayina clan. Still, the others treat them differently, especially the kids. Struggling to find balance, they learn the ways of their new clan and try not to cause some trouble. Well, Lo’ak isn’t very good at that. When the kids of Tonowari brought him beyond the reefs, Lo’ak finds himself isolated but saved by a Tulkun, the outcast. Trouble continues as when Kiri connected to the spirit tree, she convulsed underwater, causing her to need medical attention. While connected, Kiri kept asking her mother, Dr. Grace, who her father is. She is quite magical, honestly, she could control the wildlife of Pandora at will. As much as they could run, they couldn’t do it forever. Trouble still finds them as the Sky People attacks a Tulkun, which are the whale-like creatures that the Metkayina clan considers as their spirit brothers and sisters. Lo’ak wants to warn his Tulkun, the outcast, thus, he goes to the reefs, bringing Neteyam, Tsireya, Kiri, Tuk, and Tsireya’s friends with him. Of course, the Sky People spots them and in an underwater chase, the others manage to escape, thanks to Kiri who could control the wildlife, much to their surprise but unfortunately, Lo’ak, Tsierya, and Tuk are taken and held hostage. The big battle arrives as the Metkayina clan pushes forward but the Sky People only wants Jake Sully. Jake, being the bigger person, literally, surrenders himself but the surprise hero appears! Lo’ak’s Tulkun spirit brother, the outcast, arrives to baffle the Sky People’s forces. As the Tulkun attacks, the Metkayina clan charges, and the big battle at the sea commences. As Jake tries to save his children from captivity, the Sky People always gets the bets of them. Neteyam manages to save Lo’ak, Tsireya, and Tuk, but Lo’ak pushes him to save Spider who is in the sinking ship. Being the big brother, Neteyam agrees and while they are saving Spider, Neteyam gets shot in the chest. No matter how hard they tried to save him, it was too late for him. Neytiri is devastated. As a mother, she loses her first born, but Jake urges him to fight because Kiri and Tuk were taken hostage by Quaritch. As Neytiri comes into her senses that their girls are hostages, there’s no fiercer woman in the universe than a mother who just lost her son and her girls being in danger. She’s one lean and mean killing machine as she gets into the fight, with every shot a sure kill. Meanwhile, Jake pushes forth Quaritch to get to their girls, but Quaritch got the upper hand as he holds a knife to Kiri’s throat. Neytiri thought it’d best to fight fire with fire, a son for a son, thus, she takes Spider hostage, too, in hopes of Quaritch breaking. It works, though, for a short while. When Quaritch taunted Jake just as they are about to leave, Jake bit the bait and a showdown happens. While the ship is sinking, they fight for their lives. Unfortunately, their family gets separated from each other. Neytiri and Tuk looks for a way out of the sinking ship, while Lo’ak is looking for his father, and Spider is also helping. Jake gets the upper hand on Quaritch, drowning the villain, but he, himself, is also too wounded to go to the surface. Lo’ak gets to Jake and taught him the breathing technique that Tsireya taught him, Kiri summons the luminescent creatures of the sea to look for Neytiri and Tuk, and Spider, while torn, chooses to be human and he saves his father, Quaritch. In the end, they mourn over the dead body of Neteyam. Jake finally recognizes Lo’ak for his efforts, and calls him and Spider his sons. Just as the way of the water is, they bring Neteyam to the spirit tree for his burial. Knowing the troubles they caused, Jake volunteers to leave the Metkayina clan but Tonowari says that they belong there, and that they are now part of the clan. It is now their home, and they go to the spirit tree to reconnect with Neteyam which brought them to a memory from when he was young.
READ MORE: Avatar: The Way of Water Director James Cameron Shares Possibility of Franchise Having TV Series Spinoffs
The Ending of Avatar: The Way of Water Explained: What’s Next For Jake and Neytiri’s Family?
Avatar: The Way of Water ended with Jake Sully and his whole family finally being official and permanent members of the Metkayina clan led by Tonowari and Ronal after the victorious fight against the sky people just outside the reefs. Still learning the ways of the Metkayina clan, they start treating it as their home, now with Spider with them. Their life in the clan could further be explored in Avatar 3.
The Ending of Avatar: The Way of Water Explained: Does Lo’ak and Tsireya End Up Together?
While there were only a few moments on Lo’ak and Tsireya being involved, Avatar: The Way of Water already teases that there is some romantic connection between the two and while it was just subtle, their relationship continues to grow through the sequel. At one point, Tsireya and Lo’ak had a heart-to-heart talk with each other and Tsireya tells Lo’ak, “I see you,” while he was talking about feeling an outcast, much like the outcast Tulkun that he connected to as his spirit brother. Now that Lo’ak’s family is part of the clan, it is expected that their relationship could be explored in the future.
The Ending of Avatar: The Way of Water Explained: How Does Kiri Have Powers?
Then, there’s the mystery of Kiri, her parentage is quite a baffling twist. Her mother is Dr. Grace, whose Na’vi form is mysteriously pregnant and bore a daughter, as her body remains in stasis. Kiri still asks questions about her father but when she got close to the answer, she had a seizure. More than that, Kiri could also control the creatures of Pandora which she could summon to do what she wishes them to do. That makes her an interesting character especially considering that she hears the heartbeat of Eywa as well. Kiri’s character is a mystery, herself, with her abilities and parentage, and theories suggest that Kiri could be some kind of divine child, an intervention of Eywa, through Dr. Grace, as something like an immaculate conception, and that is something the could hopefully be explored in the future of the franchise.
The Ending of Avatar: The Way of Water Explained: Will Colonel Miles Quaritch Be Back?
Lastly, there’s Spider and Colonel Miles Quaritch. While Spider is now a fully-fledged adopted child of Jake and Neytiri living with the Metkayina clan, he still saved Quaritch from drowning but he refused to go with him. This only means that with Quaritch alive, the threat on Jake Sully remains. Watch Avatar: The Way of Water as it makes waves in theaters worldwide.
